Month: September 2017

Sept 29th – Oct 1st 2018 | US$800 Join us as we meander our way down the coast from San Diego to Ensenada. No experience needed, a passion for adventure a must! An excellent blue-water cruising passage on an expedition sailing yacht from San Diego, […]

Join us as we meander our way down the coast from Vancouver to San Francisco.
No experience needed, a passion for adventure a must!

Experience life in the slow lane, as we meander through treasure trove of islands, inlets, and fjords en route from Vancouver to San Francisco. Join us for this glorious sail in warm summer winds, through breathtaking Puget Sounds, past the San Juan Islands and Bellingham, while our resident crew introduces our guests to this remarkable ecosystem and its wildlife. Transient orcas are sometimes spotted hunting the harbor seals and porpoises that make up their preferred prey. Orca, Minke, Grey and humpback whales may be seen, on our travels. Partake in documenting our sightings of these magnificent creatures, so we might share our findings with sailandwhale.com a pilot project collecting long-term, With stunning panoramic vistas providing the backdrop to a blend of island hopping, coastal exploration and ocean-style cruising on the Salish Sea, the Pacific Northwest ranks among the finest cruising grounds on Earth.

Team:

ERIC LOSS & SHANLEY MCENTEE – SKIPPER & FIRST MATE
Eric Loss and Shanley McEntee have been with Pangaea Exploration since 2012. They have extensive experience working with scientific and non-profit research groups and enjoy running educational adventures for school groups. Eric and Shanley have taken Sea Dragon through the Panama Canal, up the St. Lawrence Seaway to Chicago, and to the Baltic, the Caribbean, and West Africa.

Shanley, born in 1987, grew up surfing and swimming in the Pacific in Del Mar, California. Throughout her youth, she worked with the Surfrider Foundation to protect California’s coastlines. She has a BA in Environmental Policy and Marine Science from Western Washington University. Her love and curiosity for the sea also extends underwater, where she is a PADI Rescue Diver.

After college she learned to sail, combining her passion for science, the environment, and the sea by spending several months aboard Sea|Mester’s schooners Ocean Star and Argo. Soon after she earned her Ocean Yachtmaster license. Shanley is the medical officer onboard Sea Dragon while on expedition and, alongside Eric, runs and maintains her both on and off program.

Eric, born in 1985, grew up in Laguna Beach, California. During his youth, he sailed dinghies, raced CFJ’s, Larks, and C420’s, and taught sailing to children in Dana Point, California. As a member of the Sea Scouts, Eric gained experience sailing and repairing cruising sailboats, 80’ to 130’ schooners, ketches, and brigs, locally and on several ocean crossings. He also earned the Sea Scout Quartermaster Award.

After graduating from Bowdoin College, Eric became a PADI Divemaster while working for ActionQuest and Sea|Mester, developing his teaching skills as he progressed from running summer programs on 50’ yachts to skippering an 88’ and 113’ throughout the Eastern Caribbean and across the Atlantic. In 2011, Eric took a break from professional sailing to buy and refit Odyssey, an Islander 36, to attempt a non-stop solo circumnavigation. Eight months later, he returned to Los Angeles, having sailed past the Great Capes of the Southern Oceans and back up the Pacific to his home port.

When not aboard Sea Dragon, Eric and Shanley have sailed throughout the Caribbean, across the Atlantic, and to the Arctic Circle aboard their own Pouvreau 42 Cutter, Fleur Australe.

All crew members will require a passport and visas from their home country that will allow them to travel to/ from the USA and Canada. Please note that many nationalities which can enter the USA on the ESTA visa waiver program will need a B1/B2 to enter by sea. Please look into the specific type of visa you need for arriving at these destinations by sea: www.travel.state.gov/visa.

Aug 1st – 7th 2018 | $1990 Join us as we explore the Orcas of Puget Sounds on this fast dash between two cities. No experience needed, a passion for adventure a must! The team will make this seven-day sail from Seattle to Vancouver.Sailing […]

Jul 21st – Jul 28th 2018 | Private Trip eXX eXXpedition x Pangaea Exploration partnership. Girls eXXpedition join us for their second of two mission expeditions in the Pacific North Pacific 2018 | leg 2 The adventurous women on this eXXpedition will join us in […]

Girls eXXpedition join us for their first ever sailing expedition in the Pacific

North Pacific 2018 | leg 1

The adventurous women on this eXXpedition will join us in the Pacific on this their first of two missions aboard SV Sea Dragon to sail into the heart of the North Pacific Gyre and explore remote coastlines for plastic pollution

No experience needed, a passion for adventure a must!

This will be an illuminating sail into the heart of the North Pacific Gyre for sailing and science. This is a great opportunity, whether you are a first-timer wanting to see for yourself the issues facing our oceans, or a seasoned pro wanting to get that Pacific notch on your belt and feel some adrenalin… this trip is for you.

Team:

ANNA STRANG – FIRST MATE
Sailing started for Anna due to her Grandfather, a sailor himself he taught Anna how to sail at an early age. By the tender age of six, Anna and her cousin were competitively racing Cadets out of Parkstone Yacht Club most weekends.
Enthusiastic and passionate for any time on the water, Anna, sailed all through her childhood and went on to make ‘messing around on boats’ a full time career. She currently teaches a range of ages and abilities in practical and theory lessons from powerboats to yachting. This year Anna has worked for Oceans of Hope as relief skipper and Instructor during the annual ‘Oceans of Hope Challenge’ in Croatia, in which 72 novice sailors all suffering from MS chartered 10 boats and independently sailed in Croatia. With a strong belief that sailing is for everyone, Anna continues to work with the team at Oceans of Hope to raise awareness and encourage people to try sailing. Having just taken a team of 10 MS sufferers out to Barcelona Watersports to do 2 weeks of training with the aims that they gain RYA Qualifications and can skipper for next years events. This cruise has been nominated for ‘Sailing Todays Best Cruise 2017’

JESSICA MACINTOSH – DECKHAND
Hailing from Nova Scotia, Jessica grew up on the warm waters of the Northumberland Strait working in search and rescue with the Canadian Coast Guard, where she learned that a “bad day on the boat is better than a good day in the office.”

Upon completing her undergraduate degree, Jessica was about to board a plane to Madrid to teach English, but an impulsive (and intuitive) change of heart took her to Gloucester, Massachusetts where she met her first ship, the Roseway. Jessica’s experience on Roseway with the World Ocean School sparked her passion for life at sea, traditional wooden boats, and sharing this passion with others. Since then, Jessica has had the good fortune of sailing on the Pride of Baltimore II and various other traditional schooners throughout the Caribbean and the Eastern Seaboard, including racing on schooner Columbia in the 2017 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta.

Jessica has also worked on commercial fishing vessels in the North Pacific and as a Pollution Response Officer with the Canadian Coast Guard.

In 2013, Jessica completed her Masters in Marine Management, where she focused on fisheries management and sustainable coastal communities. In early 2014 Jessica co-founded a non-profit society committed to engaging youth with innovative oceans education programs and oceans-related career resources.

Jessica is slightly sad to say that she now works full-time in an office 1500 km away from the ocean, but she is grateful that she at least gets to continue pursuing her passion for oceans by contributing to Canadian marine conservation policy.

More Information:

Contribution does not include:
– Transportation to and from Hawaii and Canada
– Transportation to and from the boat
– Additional nights spent ashore
– Personal expenses while in port

Kit: Tropical

All crew members will require a passport and visas from their home country that will allow them to travel to/ from the USA and Canada. Please look into the specific type of visa you need for arriving at these destinations by sea: www.travel.state.gov/visa.

June 3rd – Jun 12th 2018 | US$2560 Join us on this Classic Pacific Tradewinds Sailing Adventure No experience needed, a passion for adventure a must! Come with us for the return run from the central Pacific. This should be a fast, fun, reach […]

Join us for our last leg before we begin our research into coral in the Central Pacific. This should be a fast, fun, reach across the trade winds to the remote islands of Kiribati – there’s only one flight a week out of Kiritimati!So we have to get there before the flight leaves

This is a great opportunity, whether you are a first-timer wanting to see what the fuss is about, or a seasoned pro wanting to get that Pacific notch on your belt and feel some adrenalin… this is the leg for you! An excellent opportunity to build your sea miles, experience an ocean crossing, practice your celestial navigation and enjoy the best of all sailing has to offer and as the start of an awesome exploration of the remote central Pacific nation of Kiribati.

An excellent opportunity to practice your sailing skills, on this incredible leg from Hawaii to Kiritimati, learn or hone celestial navigation, build your sea miles, experience an ocean crossing, and enjoy the best Sea Dragon and sailing has to offer.

This trip can count as a qualifying RYA Ocean Yachtmaster passage – contact us to discuss!.

Team:

ERIC LOSS & SHANLEY MCENTEE – SKIPPER & FIRST MATE
Eric Loss and Shanley McEntee have been with Pangaea Exploration since 2012. They have extensive experience working with scientific and non-profit research groups and enjoy running educational adventures for school groups. Eric and Shanley have taken Sea Dragon through the Panama Canal, up the St. Lawrence Seaway to Chicago, and to the Baltic, the Caribbean, and West Africa.

Shanley, born in 1987, grew up surfing and swimming in the Pacific in Del Mar, California. Throughout her youth, she worked with the Surfrider Foundation to protect California’s coastlines. She has a BA in Environmental Policy and Marine Science from Western Washington University. Her love and curiosity for the sea also extends underwater, where she is a PADI Rescue Diver.

After college she learned to sail, combining her passion for science, the environment, and the sea by spending several months aboard Sea|Mester’s schooners Ocean Star and Argo. Soon after she earned her Ocean Yachtmaster license. Shanley is the medical officer onboard Sea Dragon while on expedition and, alongside Eric, runs and maintains her both on and off program.

Eric, born in 1985, grew up in Laguna Beach, California. During his youth, he sailed dinghies, raced CFJ’s, Larks, and C420’s, and taught sailing to children in Dana Point, California. As a member of the Sea Scouts, Eric gained experience sailing and repairing cruising sailboats, 80’ to 130’ schooners, ketches, and brigs, locally and on several ocean crossings. He also earned the Sea Scout Quartermaster Award.

After graduating from Bowdoin College, Eric became a PADI Divemaster while working for ActionQuest and Sea|Mester, developing his teaching skills as he progressed from running summer programs on 50’ yachts to skippering an 88’ and 113’ throughout the Eastern Caribbean and across the Atlantic. In 2011, Eric took a break from professional sailing to buy and refit Odyssey, an Islander 36, to attempt a non-stop solo circumnavigation. Eight months later, he returned to Los Angeles, having sailed past the Great Capes of the Southern Oceans and back up the Pacific to his home port.

When not aboard Sea Dragon, Eric and Shanley have sailed throughout the Caribbean, across the Atlantic, and to the Arctic Circle aboard their own Pouvreau 42 Cutter, Fleur Australe.

SHANNON FRIER – DECKHAND
Growing up in St. Mawes a dreamy sailing village on the South Coast of Cornwall, there was hardly a day Shannon wasn’t on, in or under the water. Known by her friends and family as ‘The Mermaid’ she tried her hardest to become one, studying a degree in Marine and Natural History Photography which brought together her aspirations and interests: training as a professional scuba diver and developing her ability to communicate science in a way that engages the public through creative narratives.

Living and studying in Cornwall Shannon doted on her local environment; devoting her time not only its protection but also preservation for future generations. Lead by her passion for conservation she became an ambassador for eXXpedition and sits on the Clean Cornwall Board in the fight against coastal pollution. After watching marine pollution on her own doorstep getting worse year on year Shannon decided at a very young age to pursue a career that will enable her to turn the tide on marine litter.

Happiest when sailing across the open ocean, Shannon doesn’t think there is anything more magical than being on night watch surrounded by phosphorescence. One of her fondest memories is being on Seadragon off the coast of Guyana watching a school of tuna chasing its prey lit by phosphorescence under a sky full of stars. Shannon loves sharing moments like this with people who have never been to sea because it reconnects them with nature and shows them why they want to protect our oceans.

CHARLIE TRIGGS – DECKHAND
Charlie started sailing on the south east coast of England at the same time as completing his Bachelor’s degree in Biosciences. Realizing that working in a lab didn’t quite fulfill his thirst for adventure, he completed his RYA Day Skipper and started crewing on delivery and cruise yachts in the North Sea, Bay of Biscay and North East Atlantic.

Deciding to combine his love for the natural world along with a passion for sailing, Charlie is working towards a career in Marine Research. After volunteering with ORCA the UK Whale and Dolphin Conservation Charity, Charlie sailed with ‘Song of the Whale’ from the UK to the Falklands. As well as this trip being an incredible offshore sailing experience, he also towed a hydrophone listening to whales and collected micro plastic samples for ongoing research projects.

Charlie joins us as a deckhand on Sea Dragon to gain further experience and hone his offshore sailing skills. He shares the same values as Pangaea Exploration and is excited to show his enthusiasm for sailing and the oceans to everyone who comes onboard.

JESSICA MACINTOSH – DECKHAND
Hailing from Nova Scotia, Jessica grew up on the warm waters of the Northumberland Strait working in search and rescue with the Canadian Coast Guard, where she learned that a “bad day on the boat is better than a good day in the office.”

Upon completing her undergraduate degree, Jessica was about to board a plane to Madrid to teach English, but an impulsive (and intuitive) change of heart took her to Gloucester, Massachusetts where she met her first ship, the Roseway. Jessica’s experience on Roseway with the World Ocean School sparked her passion for life at sea, traditional wooden boats, and sharing this passion with others. Since then, Jessica has had the good fortune of sailing on the Pride of Baltimore II and various other traditional schooners throughout the Caribbean and the Eastern Seaboard, including racing on schooner Columbia in the 2017 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta.

Jessica has also worked on commercial fishing vessels in the North Pacific and as a Pollution Response Officer with the Canadian Coast Guard.

In 2013, Jessica completed her Masters in Marine Management, where she focused on fisheries management and sustainable coastal communities. In early 2014 Jessica co-founded a non-profit society committed to engaging youth with innovative oceans education programs and oceans-related career resources.

Jessica is slightly sad to say that she now works full-time in an office 1500 km away from the ocean, but she is grateful that she at least gets to continue pursuing her passion for oceans by contributing to Canadian marine conservation policy.

All crew members will require a passport from their home country that will allow them to travel to and from the United States and Kiribati. Please look into the specific type of visa you need for arriving at these destinations by sea: www.travel.state.gov/visa.

COMPLETED | Feb 25 – Mar 15 2018 Almost Spring break has now finished No experience needed, a passion for adventure a must! We’ll depart Panama and punch out of the doldrums up the west coast of Central America, crossing the dreaded Gulf of Tehuantepec […]

Have you ever wanted to go through the Panama Canal? We’ll ascend 85 feet through the Gatun locks to Gatun Lake, a freshwater marvel where you can hear the monkeys calling from the trees all night. We’ll sail through the deadly Culebra Cut, across the continental divide, then back down 85 feet to the Pacific Ocean through the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks. The actual transit of the canal takes less than a day, but due to the vagaries of traffic scheduling, we need to alot a full week to get through. There will be plenty of time to explore Panama using Sea Dragon as a base from the Atlantic or Pacific sides before or after we transit..

Team:

ERIC LOSS & SHANLEY MCENTEE – SKIPPER & FIRST MATE
Eric Loss and Shanley McEntee have been with Pangaea Exploration since 2012. They have extensive experience working with scientific and non-profit research groups and enjoy running educational adventures for school groups. Eric and Shanley have taken Sea Dragon through the Panama Canal, up the St. Lawrence Seaway to Chicago, and to the Baltic, the Caribbean, and West Africa.

Shanley, born in 1987, grew up surfing and swimming in the Pacific in Del Mar, California. Throughout her youth, she worked with the Surfrider Foundation to protect California’s coastlines. She has a BA in Environmental Policy and Marine Science from Western Washington University. Her love and curiosity for the sea also extends underwater, where she is a PADI Rescue Diver.

After college she learned to sail, combining her passion for science, the environment, and the sea by spending several months aboard Sea|Mester’s schooners Ocean Star and Argo. Soon after she earned her Ocean Yachtmaster license. Shanley is the medical officer onboard Sea Dragon while on expedition and, alongside Eric, runs and maintains her both on and off program.

Eric, born in 1985, grew up in Laguna Beach, California. During his youth, he sailed dinghies, raced CFJ’s, Larks, and C420’s, and taught sailing to children in Dana Point, California. As a member of the Sea Scouts, Eric gained experience sailing and repairing cruising sailboats, 80’ to 130’ schooners, ketches, and brigs, locally and on several ocean crossings. He also earned the Sea Scout Quartermaster Award.

After graduating from Bowdoin College, Eric became a PADI Divemaster while working for ActionQuest and Sea|Mester, developing his teaching skills as he progressed from running summer programs on 50’ yachts to skippering an 88’ and 113’ throughout the Eastern Caribbean and across the Atlantic. In 2011, Eric took a break from professional sailing to buy and refit Odyssey, an Islander 36, to attempt a non-stop solo circumnavigation. Eight months later, he returned to Los Angeles, having sailed past the Great Capes of the Southern Oceans and back up the Pacific to his home port.

When not aboard Sea Dragon, Eric and Shanley have sailed throughout the Caribbean, across the Atlantic, and to the Arctic Circle aboard their own Pouvreau 42 Cutter, Fleur Australe.

IONA TAYLOR – DECKHAND
Iona’s love of the water began with competing at club level in a variety of dinghies and racing for Cardiff university at team racing competitions in fireflies.
She spends her free time teaching adults and young children how to dinghy sail. Iona ventured into yachting via the Tall Ships Youth Trust with whom she has been volunteering for for the past 8 years. No stranger to challenge 72’s she joins us this spring to work as deckhand aboard Sea Dragon.
In a professional role Iona works as a junior doctor and is hoping to go into pre-hospital/ expedition medicine via a career as an A&E physician. She is currently taking this year out to enjoy some time sailing and recover from two years as a hospital junior doctor.”
Having just completed the ARC, Iona has discovered a new love for ocean sailing. And is very excited to be crossing the panama canal and the pacific ocean, a passage she has always seen as a life goal for her.
She joins us to practice heavy weather helming in big seas (should it occur) and would like to get to grips with celestial navigation and prepare herself for completing her yachtmaster qualification later this year.

JENNIFER PATE – MISSION LEADERJen is a seasoned sailor with Pangaea, and joins us aboard Sea Dragon as Mission Leader for this leg.
When not working for Panexplore, she runs a community interest film company and leads/participates in expeditions as well as social and environmental responsibility projects. Living in Canada she also runs a sustainable outdoor recreation park called Windmill Lake.
She has been a filmmaker, Mission Coordinator and Mission Leader on a series of international sailing voyages raising awareness of plastic in marine and freshwater environments. She works to promote social and environmental change through her newest initiative Love Your Greats.

FINNIAN MOORE – PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER
Finnian Moore is a seasoned filmmaker, and has been working in the industry for over 10 years. His most recent work has been directing and producing two seasons of The Ayala Show, a live music programme broadcast on Irish TV. He has also worked shooting music videos, and documentaries all over the world, including in Mexico, Venezuela, Zambia, Switzerland, Canada, and the US. He has filmed videos for the legendary Gilbert O’Sullivan, Grammy Award Winning Horacio Palencia, and Mercury Prize Nominee Sam Lee. Finnian has filmed in many difficult situations, including riots, rainforests, the open ocean, and in studios from London to LA. He now runs his own production company Mind Motion Media with my sister Ayala, and brother-in-law Juan.

Fortunate enough to have travelled far and wide in his lifetime; his many expeditions, a background in Biological science and the desire to get into natural filmmaking rendered Fin fascinated with articulating the human condition, information about dangers facing the environment, and human culture in compelling ways.
Film makers who inspire him the most are Werner Herzog, Peter Weir, Steve McQueen, Alejandro González Iñárritu, David Attenbourough, David Lynch, Paolo Sorrentino, Paul Thomas Anderson… The list could go on.

Fin joins Sea Dragon and his old film buddy Jen to document our passage from Grenada to Panama. He will be recording what we do on Sea Dragon, the issues we currently have in our Oceans and how we demonstrate ecological living on board and promote sustainable behaviours.Finnian Moore.

ALLY NOBLES – GUEST CREW
With previous experience on Sea Dragon, (Writing at Sea 2015) and our Adventure Sail from St Lucia to Key West in 2017. We welcome back this avid sailing enthusiast for this trip down the canal.
A native New Orleanian, Ally Nobles has extensive experience sailing the gulf coast, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, American and British Virgin Islands, Grenada and the Grenadines. She is a certified NAUI Open Water Scuba Diver who has explored the ocean reefs of Bora Bora, Bequia, SVG, Tortola, BVI, Costa Rica and Florida.
Her passion for sailing is matched by her love of music, travel, photography, and poetry. An accomplished jazz pianist and vocalist, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Theory in 2013 and recently completed her thesis for a Master’s of Fine Arts in Poetry. Ally is happiest when she is sailing, reading, and exploring new lands.

JEFFREY HARPER – GUEST CREW
A well seasoned sailor, Jeff is at home on the water, in any capacity and holds multiple ASA cerficates. Having chartered cruisers and powerboats in the Caribbean, sailed the islands over many years and sailed around the waters of the US East Coast, he trades in this captains hat and joins us aboard Sea Dragon to gain experience and to crew a bigger boat. Joining us for not one leg, but staying with us from Grenada to Panama, Jeff will experience first hand what Sea Dragon is capable of, why we promote suitable living aboard her, how we can interact with our surroundings with minimal impact, and the impact single use plastics has had on our Oceans.

GREGORY HARPER – GUEST CREW
A well seasoned sailor, Greg is at home on the water, having sailed for pleasure for many years. He joins us aboard Sea Dragon to build on his already vast experience, to crew a bigger boat and to transit the Panama Canal, which has been on his list of things to do for a while. Greg will experience first hand, the delicacies of canal transit, rafting, and the pleasure of slow travel. He will also get to see what Sea Dragon is capable of once we clear the canal, why we promote suitable living aboard her, how we can interact with our surroundings with minimal impact, and the impact single use plastics has had on our Oceans.

RANDY HESSONG – GUEST CREW
Randy joins Sea Dragon as seasoned and passionate recreational sailor. Having completed his IYT International Bareboat Skippers & ICC/VHF Radio certifications, he comes aboard to renew and expand his sailing skills.
Vocationally Randy is an Environmental engineer (contaminant/groundwater cleanup) and material testing laboratory supervisor. Having worked in this field for the last decade or two, he finds himself looking at a sabbatical or possible change in direction.
Previously a volunteer trail crew supervisor, wilderness trail worker and now an avid Nordic skier and mountaineer, Randy is used to working with what ever the environment throws at him, not that we are expecting anything on this pleasant passage. So being at the call of the wind and waves will hold no surprises. We look forward to showing Randy life aboard a sustainable vessel, what we do to try and lessen the impact we have on the environment around us, and to see first hand the issues facing our blue waters.

AMY MUNRO – GUEST CREW
Amy is no stranger to the water and the issues our oceans face, an Oceanography graduate from the University of Southampton she grew up in a sailing family, racing on the Solent and the East coast of England. She has experience from a range of campaigns that include running a World Record-Breaking Transatlantic Solo Row through to Offshore Research Assistant for EcoOcean and Environmental Ocean Team. She has also been involved in workshops to promote public awareness of environmental issues and ocean conservation and been lucky enough to be part of dive teams researching health of coral reefs in Fiji.
Amy joins Sea Dragon and her crew during her precious time off, as Sustainability officer for Land Rover BAR. A role in which she is responsible for collecting and tracking data from her team’s (11th Hour Racing) activities, such as sailing events, waste, water and electricity consumption, in order to reduce the environmental impact the team has on its surrounding environment.
A competent sailor, Amy holds her STCW95, VHF, Powerboat level 2 certifications, and is looking to slow the pace down a little, by joining us on this cruise down the ‘canal’ to enjoy some time off and to improve her boat handling skills, and do any voluntary/community/ocean health work along the way.

William Gammon – GUEST CREW
Away from his professional career as an Insurance broker, Billy an experienced and very seasoned boat owner and sailor, has sailed the coast of Maine and offshore to Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. His sailing log also records passages from Peru to Galapagos, the completion of a leg of Around the Americas aboard Ocean Watch, offshore deliveries and a North Sea transit. Leisure time sees Billy bareboat chartering and sailing everything from Tortola to Grenada, Belize, Florida Keys to Islamorada and then on to Dry Tortugas. He joins us aboard Sea Dragon on this passage to gain first hand experience transiting the Panama Canal. We look forward to Billy joining us for this relaxed, slow sail, and to showing him the wonders that make up transiting the canal.